Garage construction



.Aug 3% 1932. c. H. SNYDER 1,374,649

GARAGE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 1, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l J R Q QN Q p U U & mm x U U URN? U U & UU I m K UH Iv a MFH I a. UH U U .UU U U U U Aug. 30, 193 2. c. H. SNYDER 7 GARAGE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 1, 1929 2 sheet's-fiheet 2 wli, 6/ 6 1, 3

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Aug 30, 1932 cnnrsrornnn H. SNYDER, or BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 1 GARAGE CONSTRUCTION Application filed May 1,

This invention relates to buildingconstruction particularly for use in parking or storing motor vehicles wherein ramps are employed.

It is an object of this invention to provide a series of ramps within a multi-story b'uilding in such a manner that the space is most eficiently utilized for the parking of motor vehicles. I

Another object of my invention is to devise a multi-story building forthe parking of motor vehicles having a novel relationship between the positioning of upgoing and downgoing ramps and the parking areas provided on the several floors.

It is a further object of this invention to devise a building construction wherein the ramps are utilized as means of support for the building.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description, in which I have set forth the preferred embodiments ofmy invention. It is to be understood that the invention, as defined by the claims, is to be accorded a range of equivalentsconsistent with the state of the prior art.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is plan View of a floor of a building employing my novel form of construction.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional elevation on line 2-2 of Figure 1. Y

Figure 3 is across-sectional elevation on line 33 of Figure 1. p

The numerous building constructions heretofore proposed for the parking of motor vehicles have, because of the layout and car handling facilities employed, been of an unusual orfreakish construction. Thus it has been proposed to provide buildings in which the floors are staggered and also to provide ramps extending along the outside of the building. These features render the building unsuitable for other uses, if it subsequently proves desirable tochange its, type of occupancy, and do not utilize the floor space to best advantage. t

I preferably utilize a building having the ordinary flat slab construction of reinforced concrete. Thus. as I have shown in 59 the drawings, the building is preferably rec-.

1929. Serial No. 359,495.

tangular with plain side walls and right angle corners, and has a plurality of superposed flOOlS, indicated at 4 to 9 inclusive. Each floor is expediently laid out in such a mannerthat the most efiicient utilization of space is effected in parking the vehicles. Thus, as is shown in Figure 1, single car areas 11' are provided adjacent'to walls 12 while double-'car areas 13 are spaced from areas 11 or elevators, I prefer to transfer the vehicles by their own power as a faster and more economical handling of them may be thus effected. Accordingly, I provide two series'75 of ramps which are respectively used in going to and from any one of the several floors. The manner in which I prefer the provision of these ramps to be made is best understood by reference to the path over which a vehicle,

after entering the building, progresses to the parking area on one of the superposed floors. Cons dermg first the series of ramps over which a car passes in ascending to one of the A upper floors, the first ramp 16, as is shown in Fig. 3, is preferably adjacent to the side A of the building and runs between the first floor 4 and the second fioor 5 of the building The next ramp, indicated at 17, which is cooperatively disposed with'90 respect to the first ramp 16 for the travel of upgoing vehicles, is preferably located adjacent to the opposite side of the building and extends between floors v5 and 6. A vehicle progresses up ramp 16 to the floor 5 and then along an aisle space, which is indicated at 18, to the ramp 17 up which it pro oeeds to the floor 6. To provide access for vehicles to the upper floors a third upgoingv ramp 19 is provided adjacent to the side of 109 the building A and superposed above ramp 16, but not adjacent thereto, as will be hereinafter set forth. It may thus be readily seen that avehicle upon entering the building r0- ceeds along the ramp 16, to the second oor 5 of the building and then along aisle ortion 18 of this floor to the second ramp l oppositely disposed and raised with respect to the first ramp 16, up which it advances to the third fioor 6 of the building. By a similar pro ress the vehicle may proceed to any one of the higher floors of the building. 7 v

Now considering the down oing series of ramps, if a car on the thirdfioor 6 is to be removed from the building, it is moved from the'fioor into aisle portion 21 of that floor and thenonto the down going ramp 22 from which it emerges into the aisle portion 23 upon the second floor 5, opposite to the aisle space 18, which is used by cars in proceeding up to the third floor. The vehicle then progresses in the aisle 23 to the ramp 24, down which it proceeds to emerge upon the lower floor 4.

g It is to be noted that the cars proceed into and out of the building by paths superposed oneabove the other and so arranged that vehicles progressing in one direction do not, at any point along their path, intersect. This is particularly illustrated in Figure 1, where a car 26 travelling upwardly enters into aisle space 27 from an upgoing ramp 28. The car then proceeds along; the aisle space 27 to upgoing ramp 29, or into one of the parking areas. In like manner a car.31 proceeding downwardly emerges from ramp 32 into aisle space 33, which is opposite to the aisle 27, along whichit progresses to enter downgoing ramp 34, which communicates with the floor below." Furthermore, it is to be noted that the ramps extend from an aisle space on one floor to an oppositely positioned aisle on the floor above, and are usually only wide enough for the passage of one car. This manner of pro- .vidingthe ramps results in avery economicallayout, since a minimum of available space is devoted to the handling of the cars and the maximum area is available for their storage.

I preferably use the well known fiatslab construction for the floors throughout'the building of my invention for I have found thatit is the most economical type of constructi'on. It is also desirable to have the floors positioned together as closely as is expedient with the type of vehicle being handled,and with the limitations of available construction materials. I have also found it expedient to employ the head frame and 'method of reinforcing di-sclosed'in my patents, respectively Numbers 1,086,866 and 1,128,912. The method of reinforcing and construction there disclosed enables me, when .I utilize the ramp construction herein disclosed, to position the floors adjacent to each other with'a minimum distance of approximately ten feet between each floor, since the suitable foundations, I am enabled to utilize them as supporting members for the various floorsofthe building. This reduces the number of columns required in the building and materiallysimplifies the problems in connection with the. construction of the several floors. The ramps and the side walls are thus employed as elements in the building construction.

The space, indicatedparticularly at 42,

bounded by the side wall and the parking area, which is usually unsuitable for the ready parking of cars, is expediently employed as an aneafor elevators, checking stations, operators quarters,'or for other purposes.

While the side walls preferably extend the full distance between the floors I have also found it to be convenient, in certain instances,

to cut away portions of the side walls. This enables a fuller view of the floor to be obtained from the ramps, thus increasing the safety with which a car is driven between floors. i g Y In some instances the construction employed, has been to provide only one side wall along the ramps extending between the floors. The other wall is restricted in height to pro videmerely' a curb or guard along the ramp.

The ramps are usually constructed and are so banked as to facilitate the travel of cars over them. Thus the ramps are positioned in such relationship to the aisle areas, with which they are in direct communication, that a car may proceed with a minimum amount of turningeflort on the part of the driver.

I claim: 1. 'A garage building comprising a plurality of substantially coextensive superposed fioors, each"of said floors having identical parking'areas and spaced parallel aisles on opposite sides of certain of the parking areas,

a plurality of spaced supporting walls extending within the building between the spaced parallel aisles and through the superposedjflo'ors, spaced'inclined relatively narrow'ramps joined to said walls and sloping in opposite directions, each ramp being of sufiicient length to extend between the parallel aisles onadj acent floors only, said ramps being superposed within the building and occupying only a'portion of the area between the adjacent parallel aisles, whereby all upgoing and downgoing trafiic moves in the same direction.

2. A garage building comprising a plurality of substantially coextensive superposed V floors, each of said floors having identical parking areas and spaced parallel aisles on opposite sides of the parking areas, a plurality of spaced supporting walls extending within the building between the spaced par allel aisles and through the superposed floors, longitudinally curved, relatively short, narrow, inclined ramps joined to said walls and sloping in opposite directions, each ramp being of suflicient length to extend between the parallel aisles on adjacent floors only, said ramps being superposed within the building and occupying only a portion of the area between the adjacent parallel aisles, the aisles and ramps being connected to form two series which are arranged with respect to each other whereby alltrafiic moves in the same direction.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHRISTOPHER H. SNYDER. 

